"Although I believe no malice was intended during the Kids in Cars segment on your show, I do believe that having parents laugh with their children because they are unable to pronounce Pacific Islander surnames is completely disrespectful," Tagataese wrote on a Facebook post.

"Casual racism is not ok and I do not want my daughter, who goes to school, to have to tolerate it."

Vagana said the segment was insensitive.

"It's actually pretty disappointing that the script was screened; that someone came up with an idea that went through the processes and actually made it all the way to air without any thought that it might have been offensive to Pacific communities, people, players and their families," he told New Zealand website Stuff.

Nigel Vagana said the segment was insensitive.

AAP

"The names are tied in with a lot more than just the individual on the field. It's the whole family.

"Stuff like that is not right and at some stage people have to be held accountable with the Rugby League World Cup coming up at the end of the year."

Vagana, who played 240 NRL games and represented Samoa twice and New Zealand 37 times, said he was disappointed that Australian networks still seemingly had so much trouble pronouncing Pacific Islander names in commentary.

"It's not like it's the first time names and the struggle to say them correctly has come about, but it just doesn't seem to be getting through to the right people that there are solutions out there if you really want them," he said.